How to grow Kale

Brassica oleracea (Acephala Group)

Full Sun
OR
Partial Sun
Low

Grow during cool seasons. Fall kale will eventually stop growing as the days shorten, but it will hold in the garden and stay quite green through the most severe winter weather. Kale can tolerate a wide variety of soils, and will grow just fine in soils affected by clubroot. Kale is very drought tolerant. In the spring, new growth appears on the “dead” Kale plant. In hot weather, it bolts into a tall, leafy plant that bears yellow flowers in the spring.

Harvesting Kale

Cut individual leaves when plant is 8-10 inches high. You can harvest whole plant by cutting it down to 2" above soil, new leaves will appear in 1-2 weeks.

How long does Kale take to grow?

These estimates for how long Kale takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Kale to germinate?: 6 days
Average 6 days | Min 1 days | Max 21 days (525)
Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Kale?: + 35 days
Average 35 days | Min 4 days | Max 88 days (143)
Days to Maturity How long until Kale is ready for harvest / bloom?: + 123 days
Average 123 days | Min 18 days | Max 296 days (492)
Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Kale?: = 164 days

When should I plant Kale?

Our when to plant Kale estimates are relative to your last frost date.

When to sow The number of days to sow Kale before or after your last frost date.: 49 days before Last Frost Date
When to plant out The number of days to plant out Kale before or after your last frost date.: 42 days before Last Frost Date

Kale Folklore & Trivia

The Kailyard school of Scottish writers, which included J. M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan), consisted of authors who wrote about traditional rural Scottish life (kailyard = kale field).

Other names for Kale

Collard

Misspellings: Collard greens, Collards, Brassica oleracea var. acephala